Book Review: Routledge handbook of graffiti and street art

• Published date: 01 December 2017
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567717718912
• Date: 01 December 2017
• Author: Jeremy Lee Pennington
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Ross, J. (2015).

Routledge handbook of graffiti and street art.

London, UK: Routledge. 490 pp. £175.00. ISBN 978-1-138-79293-7.

Reviewed by: Jeremy Lee Pennington, Pennington & Associates Ltd, Ironton, OH, USA.

DOI: 10.1177/1057567717718912

The Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art is a comprehensive work. The book has its

place on academic bookshelves and should also be found on practitioners desks. Exploring the

issue of graffiti and street art through a comprehensive approach pushing well beyond the phe-

nomenon of criminality. The book not only explores the significance of graffiti and street art but

tackles the core components of social and historical significance. The purpose of the book is

presented as building a foundation in the understanding of why graffiti and street art exist as a

phenomenon and its impact socially.

The work is organized in four parts. Part 1 builds an understanding in the history, types, and

creators of graffiti and street art. Graffiti of antiquity is explored. Then, a modern examination is

made from the perspective of subcultures surrounding the railroad, gangs, prison inmates, American

Indians, and on the bathroom wall. As a result, a wide array of graffiti and street art is examined from

the perspective of an individual subculture.

Part 2 explores theoretical explanations of the phenomenon from the use of ornamenta-

tion to how street art has moved from criminality to an acceptable form of art. Moreover,

the emerging value found in street art and its underpinning psychology driving the

phenomenon.

Part 3 addresses the regional differences and variations of markings. Variations are explored from

the perspective of individual geographical locations, pop culture, politics, and the conversion of

public spaces to individual spaces through markings.

Part 4 deals with the impact of graffiti and street art, the response to graffiti and street

art within the U.S. major urban centers, the moral implications of graffiti, the value created

in public spaces through street art, moreover, how graffiti and street art has been depicted

in the theater, and the implications of copyright law in regard to the phenomenon and its

evolution.

Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art approaches the phenomenon from a multi-

faceted methodology. Graffiti and street art is not presented as a single phenomenon, but a

phenomenon that contains an array of contexts, reasoning, and socially driven events. The

work does well at demonstrating and placing value on these individual subcultural expres-

sions. This recognition is the strongest aspect of the work. However, the book must be taken

as a whole to truly understand its value. The work has little value to the practitioner as a

simple reference but promotes a deep understanding and recognition of emerging trends in

graffiti and street art.

International CriminalJustice Review

2017, Vol. 27(4) 289-299

ª2017 Georgia State University

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